On Food
by Zelda Ophelia
Summary: Everyone needs to eat. #2 in the "Of Locker Rooms and Lunch Dates" series, sequel to "On Lists". Prompt: "One Week Ago" for the Five Stages of Love challenge on LiveJournal


**Author's Note:** Part of the "Of Locker rooms and Lunch Dates" series, #2 - sequel to "On Lists". For the Five Stages of Love challenge on LiveJournal. Prompt: One Week Ago. Thanks to E for the beta read!

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Food becomes her excuse. Everyone needs to eat, and if Jessica Angell has ended up eating most of her meals with colleagues the last few weeks, it's because she's in the mood for company instead of sitting at home alone. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that one Detective Don Flack is usually among those colleagues. Honest. After all, she makes it a point to always have four or three... okay, at least one other person with them. She isn't dating Don Flack, despite whatever misconceptions certain people (namely Cooper and Maka) might have.

She nearly chokes on her coffee when the two detectives corner her in the breakroom, Cooper asking point blank if she and Flack are sleeping together. Considering she's in there trying to cool down before she ends up bitching him out for being a complete and utter ass over the Waxman case, she's pretty lucky. Yeah, that she ends up going off on them, two (mostly) innocent bystanders, instead of the real object of her ire is unfortunate, but her father says protesting is as good as confessing, and in this case she isn't protesting. No, the utter vitriol that spews forth at the suggestion she's sleeping with that, that selfish, idiotic, moronic, pig-headed, short-sighted pain in the ass can hardly be mistaken for simple protesting. Coop and Maka back out of the room before she even has a chance to start in on her "if eating with Flack means we're sleeping together, then obviously I'm sleeping with both of you, too" tirade. (That's a rumor she's certain Cooper doesn't want started, since his father-in-law is still over at the 85th. It isn't often that rumors manage to travel between precincts, but she thinks one like that would.)

Not so unfortunate is the part where her anger with Flack is so obvious the rumor mill amends itself by noon, reporting to anyone who cares that the two of them barely get along. Even Flack asks about it that afternoon, apologizing about the case as he hands her a grande mocha latte. Full fat, with an extra shot of chocolate. And cinnamon sprinkles. She isn't certain how he figured out her favorite "I'm only getting this because I'm having a shitty day so the calories don't count" treat, but she decides not to ask. There are a limited number of people at the precinct who know, but Maka's at the top of that list ,and questions will only serve to get the rumor mill spinning again.

She looks up when the locker room door opens, quickly looking away when she sees Flack enter.

"Hey," he says when he sees her. "Getting off?"

"Yeah," she says, nodding as she tries to concentrate on the inside of her locker. There's something she's forgetting to grab.

"Wanna grab a bite?"

"Sure. Who all's going?" Jess asks, turning towards him.

"Us." He shifts a bit nervously as he watches her.

"Us?" she asks, taken aback. "What about-"

"Cooper and Maka are staying late to work on the Milburn case, Scagnetti's kid has a recital he's got to get to, Thacker said he has a 'hot date', and Vicaro is heading over to the DA's office to prep for court tomorrow."

"Oh. How about asking Stel-"

"Jess," he interrupts her, stepping closer, "what are you so worried about?"

"It's just-" She has a million reasons, but she can't quite get them out. The look on his face is more than enough to give her pause and make her rethink a few of her assumptions about him.

"It's just what?" he asks, smirking at her. "Worried about the talk? Because I'm pretty sure the latest iteration going 'round is that we can't stand each other. I doubt Cooper and Maka are going to read any more into this than they did coffee this afternoon."

She blushes, wiping her hand down her face. "About that, sorry. And thanks for the coffee. I'm not going to ask how much you had to bribe Maka to get her to tell you."

"No bribing required. She might have mentioned you were pissed and that if I ever wanted to have a chance with you, that'd be a good way to start apologizing." He chuckles when she frowns.

"Wait-" Jess shakes her head, trying to figure it out. "Maka said what?" She pauses, opening and closing her mouth several times, reaching for the right words but not finding them.

"Yeah." He steps closer again, this time close enough they're almost touching. "So, dinner?"

It takes Jess only a few seconds to make up her mind, staring up at him and watching his face for any suggestion that he might not be on the level. But if she's gotten anything from the past few weeks, it's a better ability to read him than before: he's just as nervous and uncertain over this as she is.

"Yeah," she hears herself saying, feeling a smile cross her face. "Let me grab my coat."


End file.
